Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, the report of the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia's inquiry into Northern Australia workforce development was tabled by the member for Lingiari, my friend from the Territory, and by fellow committee members. I want to congratulate Marion on that report and just underscore that Australia depends on the north for mining, for agriculture, for the pastoral industries and most importantly for our defence and security.

Tourists are drawn to the wild beauty of the region and its rich cultural heritage going back many tens of thousands of years. But the north also has longstanding development challenges. They include a lack of access to child care and health care, to affordable flights—to transport, full stop—and there is limited community infrastructure. The committee received extensive evidence that housing is the No. 1 issue affecting workforce development across northern Australia. Severe overcrowding is affecting the ability of First Nations people and communities to engage in employment and to engage in the economy. Tackling northern Australia's housing issue is therefore integral to furthering the north's workforce development.

Dr Andrew Taylor, a demographer at Charles Darwin University, told the committee:

… northern Australia is unfortunately becoming less favoured as a migration destination for people who leave other states and territories.

There are six recommendations in the report to tackle this challenge: (1) that the Australian government establish a review into the distribution formula of the federal assistance grants; (2) that the Australian government establish a review into current tax incentives to encourage people to live in northern Australia; (3) that the Australian government consider ways to provide incentives for appropriate modular homes to be built to address the immediate housing crisis in northern Australia; (4) that the Australian government develop a northern Australia focused regional infrastructure strategy with state, territory and local governments; (5) that the Australian government, in conjunction with states and territories, explore options for a regional infrastructure fund; and (6) that the Australian government consider ways to fund and support long-term projects that train and employ local First Nations people on housing construction and maintenance projects in the north—which is essential and which gets talked about decade after decade and must finally start to happen.

I commend the report of the committee to the House. It will undoubtedly contribute to our efforts in the north to overcome the geographic narcissism that can pervade this place.